


Reoccurring Nightmares- Prompt Fill

by captaincravatthecapricious



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Anxiety, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Literal Sleeping Together, Nightmares, No beta we kayak like Tim, Pre-Martin Blackwood/Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, season one jon is so bad at comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2020-12-14
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:14:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28055214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/captaincravatthecapricious/pseuds/captaincravatthecapricious
Summary: During Season One, after getting stuck in his flat for two weeks, Prentiss left Martin with some difficulty sleeping.
Relationships: Martin Blackwood & Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist
Comments: 4
Kudos: 25





	Reoccurring Nightmares- Prompt Fill

**Author's Note:**

  * For [celosiaa](https://archiveofourown.org/users/celosiaa/gifts).



> cw for exhaustion, anxiety, crying

There is a knocking in his ears. At his door. On his person. On the inside of his skull. The knocking in his chest. His heart trying to get out of him. Anxiety? Mirroring the knocking on his door for two weeks. Knocking that should have been Tim or Sasha or Jon.  
Every night the same. Every night on a passible cot. In this cramped little room. Variations on the same theme. The knocking in his head… in his memory shaking him for the same dream. Leaving him bleary and only the slightest bit alive during the day. Turning the past… month? Into nothing but a sleep deprived blur. Days having no meaning when nights don’t bring rest. When there is no daylight, and few meals. He isn’t hungry because all he can think about is that damp, decaying smell. Of earth and compost and rot. Gone past the restless hunger of exhaustion, and straight into the churning nausea of trying to stay conscious.  
His handwriting is worse than it ever has been. Nodding off at his desk. The notes he is taking turning into cryptic squiggles as the words blur before his eyes.  
He’s been trying to listen to Jon tell him something for the past 15 minutes, but he has no idea what. His eyes keep sliding shut and his neck is getting sore from jerking as he tries not to fall asleep.  
“Martin?” That would be Jon, right? Yes. Jon is right in front of him. It would make sense if it were Jon. Right? Right? Right? Is he even at his desk? Is he still backed against the wall at, in his flat? Spare cloth shoved under every crack? Duct tape and packing tape and linens and clothes? Keeping them out? But the knocking continuing? Or is that his heartbeat? 

Jon is getting a little alarmed by Martin. Martin had looked… rough when he burst into his office, weeks ago now. But he isn’t looking better. Jon watches Martin repeatedly fall asleep as Jon tries to express his growing… concern about Martin’s current state.  
Jon wrings his hands nervously for a few seconds before stopping himself. He clenches his hands into fists by his sides to stop his fidgeting. “Martin…. Are… are you all right?” Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Of course he isn’t. The man is falling asleep at his desk. He isn’t alright.  
This jerks Martin awake again.  
“Fine I’m fine!” Martin’s voice has jumped an octave and breaks halfway through.  
Jon clears his throat. He really hasn’t planned out what to do next. What did he even think he could accomplish here? He could get Martin to the cot, but as far as Jon knows, Martin has spent a lot of time there. Jon has been keeping later and later hours since Martin got back, and has tried to keep an eye on Martin.  
He needs to do something.  
How did he not get suspicious?  
He should have checked in on Martin. 14 nights. 14 nights he spent sleeping or... trying to sleep... or to be fair about 10 nights sleeping, and 4 nights failing to and working instead... in any case he wasn't there! He has to do something this time. He failed last time. He should have been a better boss. He should have been less of a right ass.  
"Martin, I have to request that we continue this conversation once you have gotten some rest. Please."  
Well that probably wasn't helpful. Especially because Martin looks slightly panicked now.  
"It's fine, Jon really. I'm fine. I'll just... I'll just get back to this..." Martin glances down as if checking what he is actually supposed to be working on. "Followup. I'll have it for you in an hour, yeah? I'll bring you tea?"  
Jon pulls a face. This is not what he was getting at. "Martin I want you to get some rest so you don't collapse, you can worry about that later so I don't have to redo everything because you aren't awake enough to do it properly." Well... he got a sentence out, but it wasn't as... kind as he had hoped it would come out.  
Martin's face falls. "right ...yeah. Sorry." Martin makes no move to get up.  
Jon is half afraid that he will just give up and sleep at his desk, which Jon can reliably report is not good for the spine. And Jon does not have the means to lift Martin, nor does he want to break the touch barrier. He doesn't know Martin well enough for that. It had taken him months to get there with Tim. Maybe Tim could carry Martin... but that is all the farther he get with that thought before Martin bursts into tears. Which Jon honestly finds even more alarming.  
Jon prefers to do his crying far far away from prying eyes. The idea of being comforted sounds both very nice and very uncomfortable and if anyone were to catch him crying at work, he would very much prefer they simply pretended nothing was going on.  
Right. Martin.  
Jon nudges Martin's box of tissues a little closer and just... stands there, staring off just above Martin's head. What else is he supposed to do? He could bring him water, but that acknowledges that Martin is crying, which Martin might not appreciate? Then again, Jon doesn't know what Martin likes. Would it betray his trust to go and fetch Tim? Or Sasha? Or hell even Rosie would be better equipped to handle this. Jon doesn't know shit about comforting people. He is half convinced that that is part of the reason Georgie broke up with him.  
He turns on his heal and retrieves water and some biscuits for Martin. It isn't tea, but Jon has no clue how Martin takes his tea and doesn't want to leave for too long. Maybe he can shield Martin from the others if they actually come back from lunch on time. Which ....Jon doubts.  
Martin is doing his best to dry his eyes with minimal success, when Jon returns. Jon sets the water in front of him and nudges the biscuits in line with the water.  
Jon clears his throat. "Would you like to be left alone or would you... like a hug?'  
Martin snorts at the clear awkwardness laced in the word "hug." It's a damp sound. "Not if you say it like that, Jon. I'm fine. I'll just... wash my face and get back to work."  
"Martin, please I... you need to rest. Not just for your work, that was supposed to be a... Martin I am actually worried about you. Please go and get some rest."  
Martin whines slightly and then flushes at the idea that he made such an embarrassing sound. At least, Jon presumes that is why he flushes.  
He is clearly embarrassed enough to give it up and go to the cot because Martin gets up and heads in that direction. Muttering a teary, "fine," as he leaves. 

Jon is jolted out of his work by screaming. He follows it towards Martin's room, heart hammering loud enough to make him dizzy. "Martin!" He bursts in without knocking. And Martin is...  
curled up on the cot... looking even more tired and embarrassed.  
"Sorry," he mumbles, having come awake with his own scream, Jon presumes. Or perhaps when Jon entered. "Nightmares. I'm fine. Go back to work. Or better yet You take a nap."  
The last part was in a sharper tone then Jon is used to from Martin.  
"I'm fine," Jon echos. Defensive. He is. Mostly. True he's been pulling some ridiculous hours, but that is for Martin. He needs to help. He needs to try to understand what is happening. "Martin, is there anything I can do?"  
"No. Jon. It's fine. Go back to work. I'll have a lie down and then I'll get back to work."  
"Would... would company help? I... I could take a lie down on the floor? And then you... wouldn't be alone?"  
Silence falls heavily. Jon is worried he has overstepped. Wouldn't that be just like him? Make Martin feel worse. Just like he always does.  
Adrenaline from earlier getting recycled into guilt. His hands are prickling with anxiety. He tries to shake them out subtly.  
Martin is staring at Jon's feet. Or rather, at the floor next to them, and has gone a bit red.  
"Look, Jon, I don't want you to sleep on the floor."  
"It's fine. Better than my desk. It will likely be the best sleep I've gotten in a while. Think of it as a benefit to me. ...I... I understand not sleeping well." Jon also stares at the floor. He distantly wonders if they are staring at the same spot. An indirect staring contest. Indirect like everything Jon does. Everything just to the left of what he means. He scuffs his foot on the floor.  
Martin scoots until he is pressed to the wall, and pointedly doesn't look at Jon as he pats the cot next to him.  
Holding himself stiffly, Jon toes off his shoes and folds his jacket, and stretch himself next to Martin on the too-narrow cot.  
Hardly five minutes later, they are both are in an uneasy sleep. But it is an improvement.

**Author's Note:**

> Send me more prompts! I am captaincravatthecapricious on tumblr! Also let me know if you enjoy, your comments mean the world to me!


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